The experimental side of electronic music is always the most subjective spectrum to delve into. What exactly is experimental anymore and does anybody really care? You have intelligent musicians that craft different shades of dubstep as if they’re simply adding to a compositional phrase of music and then you have techno-driven producers that build … [Read more...]

Kompakt's Pop Ambient series spent its first ten years in the same sonic zone, exploring the pleasant confines of drifty held tones, spring loaded loops, and weak, persistent pulses. Mostly this resulted in blissful ambience or calm atmospherics, but occasionally a sinister vibe would edge it's way into the mix. Curator Wolfgang Voigt has finally … [Read more...]

As The Field, Axel Willner has always been known for his meticulously crafted music. And as a master producer of beats and electronics, he's made sure that when one considers his music, quality should be the predominant sentiment. 2007's From Here We Go Sublime was, arguably, that year's best electronic album (not for me; that goes to Pantha Du … [Read more...]

Let me preface this a bit, just a little bit. Have you ever spoken to people who listen to electronic music and who seem to have such a, for lack of a better word, pretentious stand on it? This can be seen from two sides: the side that listens to only club standards and dare say they know everything there is to know about the genre and then there … [Read more...]

Like any series of compilations that reach a ninth installment, Kompakt's Pop Ambient series has seen its share of highlights and misses. Last year's entry was about half excellent and half ignorable. Maybe that's why I was surprised that the 2009 volume is improbably one of the finest in the series to date.
The quality of Pop Ambient 2009 may … [Read more...]